James Richard Cocke (1863 – 1900), who had been blind since infancy, was an
American physician, homeopath, and a pioneer hypnotherapist.
He
was born in the South of the United States, and had been totally blind since he
was an infant. His sight had been completely destroyed when acid was accidentally
applied to his eyes when he was just three weeks old. He was considered to be "highly educated"; and, despite his total blindness, "was able to go around the city at will", and "could play a piano with much skill":
Having moved to Boston around 1885, he graduated M.D. from Boston University in June 1892, "having completed the full course of study [including performing dissections], with an average percentage of 96 for the three years". He was the first blind person to do so.
He was a member of the Medico-Legal Society of New York.
Although he studied homeopathy for a time, he made his mark as a student of hypnotism, and as a successful hypnotherapist. He wrote an important text-book on hypnotism in 1894.
o
Cocke,
J.R., Hypnotism: How it is Done; Its Uses and Dangers, Arena Publishing Co.,
(Boston), 1894.
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Cocke,
J.R., "Methods of Inducing Hypnotism", Current Literature, Vol.17,
No.5, (May 1895), pp. 443–444.
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Cocke,
J.R., "The Power of the Mind as a Remedial Agent in the Cure of
Disease", The Arena, Vol.9, No.6, (May 1894), pp. 746–757.
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Cocke,
J.R., "The Practical Application of Hypnotism in Modern Medicine",
The Arena, Vol.9, No.1, (December 1893), pp. 73–80.
It is a saying as old as the
hills that "a little learning is a dangerous thing." While as a
physician I am ready to admit the truth of this, I think that there is
infinitely moredanger to the common weal from the populace being densely
ignorant of the phenomena which are daily occurring in their midst. Hypnotism
is at the present time exciting widespread interest, from scientific men,
professional men, and laymen as well... Hypnotism: How It
Is Done; Its Uses And Dangers James R. Cocke 1894
On a subsequent occasion Dr. Cocke, who was blind, was put into a
deep hypnotic sleep by fixing his mind on the number 26 and holding up his
hand. This time he experienced a still greater degree of terror, and
incidentally learned that he could hypnotize himself. The matter of
self-hypnotism we shall consider in another chapter. How the subject
feels under hypnotization —Dr. Cocke's experience - COMPLETE
HYPNOTISM MESMERISM, MIND READING AND SPIRITUALISM
BY A. Alpheus 1903
One young fellow, aged about eighteen, said that he was
addicted to the cigarette habit. The suggestion was made to him that he would
not be able to smoke a cigarette for twenty-four hours. After the entertainment
he was asked to smoke, as was his usual habit. He was then away from anyone who
could influence him. He replied that the very idea was repugnant. However, he
was induced to take a cigarette in his mouth, but it made him ill and he flung
it away with every expression of disgust.*
*This is an instance of
what is called post-hypnotic suggestion. Dr. Cocke tells of suggesting to a drinker
whom he was trying to cure of the habit that for the next three days anything
he took would make him vomit : the result followed as suggested. AMUSING EXPERIMENT - COMPLETE HYPNOTISM MESMERISM, MIND
READING AND SPIRITUALISM BY A. Alpheus 1903
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